A Throwback Thursday that is actually on a
Thursday! Welcome to our review of the Hoosiers battle against the Iowa
Hawkeyes that could let Indiana control its own destiny to the Big Ten
Championship Game. Despite a
weather delay of over an hour and temperatures that never got out of the 30s
the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes provided a great game in a rare late afternoon start
at The Rock.

Why They
Played: The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes met as part of a divisional crossover
matchup. Indiana has had some
recent success against the Hawkeyes scoring wins in back-to-back years in 2006
and 2007 while also coming a dropped touchdown pass away from another victory
in 2010. Iowa leads the all-time
series 27-42-4.

What The
Game Meant:

Indiana came into the game off their first Big
Ten win in almost two years, while Iowa limped into Bloomington on a two game
losing streak. In any other year
this would be a next to meaningless game between teams that had a combined
three conference wins, but 2012 was not any other year. Due to the sanctions to both Ohio State
and Penn State combined with the early struggles from Wisconsin, the Hoosiers
found themselves in control of their own destiny for a berth in the Big Ten
Championship Game with a win against the Hawkeyes. Yes folks, Indiana can control their own destiny in November
for a Championship.

Top
Offensive Performers:

Cody Latimer,
WR,Indiana- The
sophomore wide receiver gave the Hawkeyes flashbacks to the days when James
Hardy used to torch the Iowa secondary, as he caught seven balls for 113 yards
and three touchdowns.

Cam Coffman,
QB, Indiana- The Hoosier signal caller was pulled again in the first
quarter, but responded with fire in his eyes as he threw for 315 yards and
three touchdowns.

Kevonte Martin-Manely,
WR, Iowa- Iowa’s lone bright spot on an otherwise dismal offensive
performance, the sophomore receiver lived up to his name, racking up 131 yards
and a score in the loss.

Top
Defensive Performers

Adam
Replogle, DT, Indiana- The big guy up front put on a show for the
Hoosier defense totally seven tackles, two for a loss, and recovering a fumble
for good measure. The defensive
lineman led a team effort that bogged down the Iowa offense allowing only 3.2
yards a carry.

Christian Kirksey,
LB, Iowa- The Iowa linebacker made what looked like, at the time, a back
breaking play as he took the first pass Nate Sudfeld threw back for six points
to give Iowa what should have been a commanding 14-0 lead.

Special
Team Performance:

The Hoosiers special teams unit was as ugly as
the weather was on this dreary November Saturday. Kicker Mitch Ewald proved inconsistent again as he went 1-2
on field goal attempts, but hit all three of his extra points. Punter Erich Toth was miserable kicking
the ball averaging a paltry 36.4 yards on five punts, while the return game
averaged a mediocre 19.3 yards on four kick returns.

Key Stat:

96 Rushing Yards

This is the number of yards that Iowa rushed
for against a Hoosier team that does not defend the rush well. Iowa known for their bruising running
attack was held to just 3.2 yards a carry, making the Hawkeyes rely on the
inconsistent arm of James Vandenberg.

Turning
Point-

This contest had all the markings of a game
that you could file under “One that got away”, when the Hoosiers let the
Hawkeyes retake the lead 21-17 with 12 minutes left in the game. However the Hoosiers battled back and
finally retook the lead less than two minutes later when Coffman lofted a
beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass to Cody Lattimer.

I Knew it
was over when…

When Iowa’s desperation last second play was
fumbled and ruled down as time expired.

Player of
the Game

Cam
Coffman, Indiana, Quarterback- While it may be easy to name Cody
Latimer as the game’s most outstanding player, Coffman had the more impressive
day. After being pulled in the
first quarter for the second straight week Coffman responded in a way that
showed Hoosier Nation why he should be starting under center. Coffman threw three touchdowns and took
care of the ball over the last three quarters.

What I took
away from the game

After a weather delay of just over an hour,
that probably affected the size of the crowd at Memorial Stadium, the Hoosiers
started off the game in daze finding themselves down 14-0 at the halfway mark
of the first quarter. Hoosier fans
have heard this story before. Just
when you think the team has taken a step forward they take two giant steps
back. However, unlike Hoosier
teams of the past the Kevin Wilson lead squad battled back and eventually took
the lead only to let it slip away again.
Finally, with just under 11 minutes left Cody Latimer snatched his third
touchdown and gave the Hoosiers the lead for good. While, Iowa was in the midst of an extremely disappointing
season it was still a fantastic sign to see Indiana build upon the victory the
week before against Illinois. The
win set up a match up with Wisconsin the following week in what should be the
biggest Hoosier football game since 2007.
A battle with the Badgers for control of the Leaders Division.